Get a QR Code for Your Tomb!

Want to live long after you die? Wish your descendants knew who you were, what kind of a person you were? You can now get buried with a QR code on your cemetery in China!The tradition has slowly gained momentum in China where youngsters wave over the QR codes added to the tombstones and access their ancestor’s virtual obituaries. Paying respects to ancestors virtually is quickly becoming the trend in China. The virtual obituary consists of everything from pictures to videos of the deceased and can be accessed by close friends and family members in a way to pay respect or to remember the dead. Cemeteries in urban, advanced cities of China like Shanghai, Shenyang and Fujian are witnessing an increasing trend of having QR codes on tombstones in cemeteries.

Depending on the amount of information, the QR codes can provide all kinds of information from the birth and death dates, life of an individual along with anecdotes, stories, pictures and visuals. Users feel that the system helps them not only pay respect the deceased but also understand them or know them better. It is easier for a grandchild to relate to stories of the great-great grandfather if all details are presented via the QR code via images and videos. And the technology helps not just family and friends but can be used even by strangers to access information in case of requirement or any emergency. The trend has quickly caught on with the younger generation which prefer virtual obituaries to memorial halls and congregations. According to reports by a leading Chinese daily, a young woman named Wang said, "With the text inscribed on the tombstone supplemented by live music and pictures, my memory of my grandmother can be refreshed. That will extend her life."The QR codes are not just interactive but also provide the opportunity offer virtual gifts to the deceased online. With dwindling space for burial in China and the dead being buries under the sea, the virtual system is being applauded by authorities as it prevents wastage of material and pollution.Would you permit having a QR code on your tombstone? Let us know in comments below!